Last Updated: 12/1/21

1. At 1:15 pm on 11/7/21, the air temperature was 54 degrees F. The 1800 gallon pond was at 48 degrees F, and the 153 gallon pond was at 51 degrees F. I shook the net and then netted out a bunch of leaves. I removed the main filter floss around the big pump and cut new pieces. I added additives and water to all ponds.

2. At 12:37 on 11/14/21, the air temperature was only 46 degrees F so I put on long johns under my clothes. Per usual, I cannot work in the water with a coat on! Both pond thermometers said the water was 50 degrees F. It took about an hour to just get the leaves off the net of the big pond! Then, I could get in. I squirted off the filter materials. I pulled out the one tropical waterlily. It didn't have a hard, nut tuber but more of a growing tip tuber. I stored it away in wet sand just in case it could survive but only the hard tubers have made it in the past. This waterlily had a flower when I received it but never flowered again all summer. ;-(

3. At 2 pm on 11/21/21, it was 50 degrees F outside and not windy so I didn't have to wear a coat or longjohns. The 1800 gallon pond was at 46 degrees F, and the 153 gallon pond was at 47 degrees F. I removed the PondMaster filter from the 153 gallon pond for the winter and put in the air stone. I squirted off the filter material around the only remaining pump that runs the main waterfall at a drizzle. I squirted out the bioballs. There were at least half a dozen pickerel and green frogs in the filter but I just left them in the bottom.

Years ago, I bought 3 foot sections of various size pipes, and now I know why! The pipe that runs under the waterfall has stiffened to the point of being non-movable and brittle. As such, when I was attaching it to the pump, the pump had to lay sideways as did the holed plant container and floss that I wrap around it. So, I took the three foot section of 1.25" flexible hose and hose clamped one end to the pump and the other to the coupler that joins that old, brittle hose. This allowed me more ability to position the pump and filter basket with less chance of the old hose eventually cracking or breaking. If that happens underground, there is no way to replace it (that I can afford), and the biofilter will not be useable at all. It's amazing that that hasn't happened since the pond is 24 years old. The last time I asked someone about fixing my pond, the cost was half my yearly salary.

I cut down all the yellow flag iris in the 50 gallon pond and pretty much all the marginals in the big pond. We should get our first hard freeze in a few days.

4. At 10:40 am on 11/28/21, the air temperature was 44 degrees F. The 1800 gallon pond was at 42 degrees F, and the 153 gallon pond was at 40 degrees F. This is the first time since last winter that I did not get in the big pond. I am now doing every other week depending on weather. I added water and additives to all the ponds and collected leaves. For the first time in a month, there was less than a wheel barrow full of leaves on the nets. The trees are now stripped of leaves so new leaves in the pond from now on are mostly ones that blow in. It is barely going to touch freezing this coming week so I have not put out the de-icers yet.

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